California Dreamin'
by Ms.Mitty
Summary: After losing his parents, and then Edwin Jarvis, Tony moves from New York to Malibu to start anew with his daughter. A collection of one-shots about Tony Stark being a different kind of hero before becoming Iron Man, from various POVs. (Another Secret Sisterhood spin-off, but can be read as a standalone. Family/Friendship fluff)
1. Chapter 1

**February 1994**

Rhodey had always been one of those guys who hung out with plenty of people, but had no best friends, at least until he had met Tony Stark at MIT. He had been quite surprised when he had found out that he would be roommates with Tony Stark. Not that he would share a room with Tony Stark, but Tony Stark would share a room with anyone. Surely, his dad could have afforded one of those fancy private suites, right? Later, he would learn that Howard Stark denied his son such conveniences, to teach him not to take anything for granted. Their relationship had started out as a rivalry between the two students, and to be honest, Rhodey had panicked a bit at first. He had been almost certain that the infamous Tony Stark would turn his college years into a nightmare for daring to challenge him, but it had been the opposite. Tony actually _respected _intelligence and talent. It was those he considered to be beneath him he enjoyed tormenting. It didn't mean Rhodey wasn't tempted to strangle him sometimes, but once you were willing to look past his flaws, you could find a good friend in him. And a true patriot. There were many occasions on which he made Rhodey proud to be his best friend.

Right now, for example. They were in the control tower of Edwards Air Force Base, and Tony was introducing the new radar systems he had designed. Once his superiors had learned that James Rhodes was one of the few people who could control Tony Stark to some degree, they had decided to use him as a liaison to Stark Industries. And when Tony had moved from New York to Malibu, Rhodey had been transferred to Edwards Air Force Base, the closest base to the Stark Industries HQ in Los Angeles, where Tony was now running the company from.

Rhodey understood his reasons. The past two years had been rough for Tony, and that mansion on Long Island was full of sad memories now. First, he had lost his parents in a car accident. He was hellbent on self-destruction, until someone had dumped a baby on his doorstep. Tony's baby. As strange as it might sound, this actually had done him some good. For the next fourteen months, he had been a somewhat responsible adult. Then, the family butler, Mr. Jarvis, had died, and Tony was back at his favorite nightclub in Manhattan on the same night, drinking his sorrows and distracting himself with the company of ladies. A fresh start in California might be good for him.

"And this, gentlemen, is how you deal with unwanted guests invading your airspace," Tony said once the virtual hostile aircraft was shot down from the sky.

Everybody started clapping. The generals who had come all the way from Washington just for this demonstration shook Tony's hand, saying it was an honor to work with him. Tony seemed pleased with himself. Soon, Stark Industries were to renew one of its contracts with the government for the first time since Howard Stark's death, so it was important to keep these fellows impressed.

"So, are we going to my place right away, or do you want to swing by the club first?" Tony asked as they made their way out of the control tower.

Rhodey bit his lip in order to not laugh. He was trying too hard to pretend like he wanted to go to the club. "Drop it, Tony. There's no shame in being a good dad, you know."

Tony was usually indifferent to flattery, but there was a twinkle in his eyes every time someone complimented on his parenting skills, like there was now. When it had been confirmed that the baby left on his doorstep was biologically his, Rhodey was one of the few people who believed Tony could be a good father, and so far, he hadn't been disappointed. In fact, he had only hired a nanny when he had had no choice but to take over the company and being a stay-at-home dad was no longer an option. Rhodey didn't understand why people thought he was the kind of father who would accidentally put liqueur in his kid's bottle instead of milk. If he took something seriously, he did it right. Otherwise, Stark Industries would have gone bankrupt, and the social services would have taken Ana away a long time ago.

"My place it is, then."

…

Say what you wanted about Tony Stark, but the guy knew how to live. The Malibu Mansion alone proved that.

"Welcome home, Mr. Stark," a slender brunette Rhodey had never seen before greeted them when they entered the living room. "Oh, you must be Mr. Rhodes. I'm Ashley, the nanny. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too, Ashley," Rhodey mumbled.

"How's she?" Tony asked her, and Ashley's smile faded.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but Ana still refuses to eat. I tried—"

"That's okay, she's just shy around new faces. Give her a couple of days."

"Rhodie!" Ana's squeaky voice came from upstairs, accompanied by the patter of tiny feet. Rhodey rushed to pick up the two-year-old, who was trying to climb down the stairs as quickly as possible in her hurry. When he did, she flung her tiny arms around his neck, and showered him with kisses. He sometimes couldn't believe such a small thing could be full of so much love.

"Hey, sweetie… Did you miss me?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, I missed you, too." Rhodey had been so busy lately that he hadn't had the chance to see her this week.

"What about me?" Tony asked. "You didn't miss me?"

She frowned in confusion, like she was trying to understand why she was supposed to miss Tony, too. She saw him every day. "No."

Rhodey laughed, then became serious. "Tony, she probably needs to eat something."

They went to the kitchen. Ashley wasn't anywhere to be seen, so Rhodey asked, "Where's Moira?" Moira was the previous nanny.

"She wanted to work for a more… stable family. So, we said goodbye to each other last night and—"

"You slept with her, didn't you?"

Tony clicked his tongue, confirming his suspicions.

"God, Tony…" He placed Ana on her high chair, while Tony grabbed a sandwich, a handful of sliced carrots, and a bottle of milk from the fridge.

"I fired her first," he defended himself.

"You know, one day Ana will be old enough to understand why her nannies keep quitting."

"She'll also be old enough to understand why you love taking her to the park." He winked mischievously while cutting the sandwich in half. Then he poured some milk into a small glass.

"If you ever tell her, I'll kill you." The park was a great hotspot to meet lonely single moms of Malibu, true, but that wasn't the only reason Rhodey did it. He genuinely loved spending time with Ana. Besides, both she and Rhodey needed to socialize with other people every once in a while.

"Here you go," Tony told Ana, giving her the sandwich, the carrots, and the milk. "Chicken sandwich, your favorite."

Much to their relief, Ana started to eat greedily. Tony laughed. "Yeah, so much for the hunger strike."

"It doesn't change the fact that you're giving her abandonment issues, Tony. She probably thinks it's her fault every time a nanny quits."

"Nah, she's smarter than that."

"She's only two, man." Rhodey didn't know much about child development, but he knew Ana was remarkably smart for her age. Tony loved bragging about her intelligence, but sometimes, he overestimated it.

"If you can't get some self-restraint, why don't you hire a male nanny?" As far as Rhodey knew, Tony wasn't into men, so that should solve the problem. "Or, a butler? I mean, this place of yours is nice… Really nice. But it's also huge. Sooner or later, you're going to need someone to run it."

"No."

"Look, Tony, I know you miss him, but Mr. Jarvis is dead. He can't work for you from the grave. Just get yourself a new butler, it's not like you'll be betraying his memory or anything."

"No," he repeated, this time more firmly.

Rhodey gave in. There was no point in arguing with the guy.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge, and went out to the backyard to watch the sunset. This mansion had an amazing view of the ocean. Tony, he just had to have the best of everything… He might have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but if anyone deserved this life, it was the Stark family. Howard Stark had lived and died as a national hero, now Tony was continuing his legacy. He liked making weapons, and Rhodey liked shooting the bad guys with them. The two made a good team.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again! This is another series of one-shots from me, and I'm going to leave this one open for requests. This time there will be lots of fluff, because I feel like I owe you guys that much after all the emotional rollercoaster in the previous stories (And don't even get me started on the Destroyer of the Worlds AU I'm working on). Besides, it's fun to write a prequel where everyone is a bit naive and happy.**

**For those who are confused, this is a companion piece to my **_**Secret Sisterhood**_** trilogy. You can still enjoy it as a stand-alone, but for the details, check out my profile.**


	2. Chapter 2

**March 1996**

_I need a new job_, Happy thought as he neared the starting point of the Corral Canyon Loop Trail. He had been in the boxing industry for years now, and hadn't won even a single match, no matter how hard he trained. And people wondered why he was never happy… Maybe he could find a job as a mall cop. Or, a bouncer. Sure, there was no glory or fame to be found in such careers, but at least he would get to keep whatever dignity he had left. Besides, there was no shame in an honest job. Everybody had to make a living, right?

He came to a halt when he spotted two men, maybe 50 feet ahead. One looked like he was pointing a knife at the other, who was taking something out of his pocket, probably his wallet. Maybe Happy should stay out of it. Take a detour to the parking lot, get into his car, and go home. The mugger would most likely leave the man alone once he got the money.

But for once in his life, Happy wanted to fight for something other than entertainment. Something meaningful. So, he was approaching the scene, he couldn't stop his feet from carrying him there. He was either going to be a hero, or get himself killed. The second option was more likely. But he just couldn't stop.

"Hey," he called out, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. "Leave him alone!"

With a frustrated expression, the mugger turned to his left to face Happy. The bald man was of average size, but had a big knife. He looked like he was high.

_Keep your eyes on the opponent_, he thought.

No. He shouldn't be _thinking_. Thinking would only slow him down. He should let the instincts take over.

"This ain't your problem, man. Piss off!"

"Hey, it's cool," the other man said. "Let him just take my wallet. No one needs to get hurt."

The voice sounded familiar, so Happy forgot to keep his eyes on the opponent and looked at him. And he was right. The other man was Tony Stark! Of course Happy had seen a few celebrities before. There were many celebrities who lived here, in Malibu. But this wasn't some B-lister. This was Tony freaking Stark…

Suddenly, the big knife flashed before Happy's eyes. The mugger was trying to stab him. Happy lifted his arms just in time to block the attack. He kicked the man in the groins, bringing him down to his knees, twisting his wrist until he dropped his knife at the same time.

Harold Joseph "Happy" Hogan had just won his first fight.

…

Happy whistled in awe as he stood in front of Tony Stark's mansion. In fact, everything here in Malibu Point overwhelmed him. He had never been in this part of the city before. He had had no reason to. He didn't think he could rent a place here even for a day, and he had no rich friends. But now, here he was, looking at the biggest house of the neighborhood, about to have an actual job interview in there.

He rang the bell. Through the glass door, he could see the living room inside, but there was no one in sight. A second later, he heard the door unlock by itself. He decided to enter.

"Hello? Mr. Stark, sir?"

"Welcome to the Stark Mansion, Mr. Hogan," a guy with a posh British accent spoke through some invisible speakers, startling Happy.

"I—I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I am JARVIS, a natural-language user interface designed by Mr. Stark."

"Okay…"

"Hi, you must be Happy Hogan!" This time, it was a petite blonde woman coming down the stairs. "Mr. Stark said you'd be coming today for an interview. I'm Chloe, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Chloe… Just to be clear, you're human, right?"

She laughed. "Yes. I'm the nanny, actually."

"Oh, right…" Now that he thought about it, Tony Stark had a kid.

"This way please," Chloe said, and led him to the backyard, where Stark was playing with a little girl in a pink floating tire in the swimming pool. He was telling her something about the law of buoyancy, but he stopped when he saw Happy. Chloe returned inside.

"Hey! It was Happy, right? Happy Hogan? Ana, this is the guy I met while jogging yesterday. Happy, this is my daughter, Ana."

"Hi, Mr. Hogan," she said, then returned to her toys floating in the water. Whatever game she was playing, she seemed really absorbed in it.

"Take a seat," Stark said, leaning on the side of the pool. "Help yourself."

Happy gingerly sat down on the edge of one of the lounge chairs. On a small table, there was fruit, soda, and mineral water. He grabbed a slice of pineapple.

"Daddy?"

Stark turned to his daughter. "Yeah?"

"Human body is less dense than water, right?"

"Mm-mm."

"Then why do people drown?" She didn't sound scared or anything. Only curious.

"Excellent question… Happy, do you know why people drown?"

"I got no idea," he admitted, hoping he wouldn't lose the job because he couldn't answer the question. He had come here to be a bodyguard, not a rocket scientist…

"In most cases, people drown because they panic," Stark began to explain. "When they panic, they can't control their body movements and swallow water. And if they swallow too much water…"

He grabbed a yellow plastic bucket and gradually filled it with water. Ana watched it sink to the bottom with a very serious look on her face.

"Does it make sense?"

"Everything makes sense when _you_ explain it."

Stark laughed. "This was supposed to be a swimming lesson, but she managed to turn it into a lecture on Archimedes' principle instead… Come on, kid, that's it for today."

He climbed out of the pool, then helped her get out, too, and wrapped her in a towel. Chloe came to take her.

"How old is she?" Happy asked. To be honest, he had expected to find Stark having an orgy or something. This house was much more… domestic than he had imagined. Finally, he could have a stable, quiet and secure job.

"Four. And she likes you, so you're hired. Congratulations." They shook hands.

"Does she?" Happy asked. Ana had barely paid any attention to him.

He grabbed another towel and dried himself this time. Obviously, Stark had been taking good care of his body. Happy wondered if he had any martial arts training, or only worked out to look good naked. "She's a bit shy, but I can tell when she likes someone. You'll be good friends soon."

"Sir, I'm going to be honest. I've never worked as a bodyguard before."

"Oh, don't worry too much about it. I've never liked bodyguards either. But I got a feeling that you and I are going to get along just fine. Hey, besides, you're kind of my hero now."

"Sir, please… That was nothing, really. No big deal."

Stark ignored his humblebragging and cut to the chase. "Alright, then. Let's go sign the contract and make it official."

He put on a brown robe, and gestured Happy to follow him. They went downstairs. Happy's jaw dropped open when he saw what was behind the glass panels. "Is this…"

"Where I work? Yeah." He entered some numbers on a panel next to the door—it was made of glass, too—and opened it. Happy didn't know what most of the stuff here did, but he could see the car collection at the far end of the basement. There was a Ghia Cadillac, Mercury Coupe, Ford Flathead Roadster, and few custom-built cars. Happy wondered which one he would get to drive. Hopefully, all of them, in time…

Stark crossed to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out the job contract his lawyers must have prepared, and left it on the desk for Happy to go over. The details were exactly as they had discussed yesterday. He was going to work both as a bodyguard and a driver and make $100,000 a year. The job came with health and life insurance, pension plan, and many other benefits. The contract also included an NDA, but as long as he simply kept his mouth shut about Stark's private affairs and business dealings, he would be fine.

"Looks good," he said.

Stark was going to hand him a pen to sign, but suddenly, he paused. "The thing is, I don't give a shit about what's written in these. Not really. I got only one rule that really matters."

"What is it, sir?"

Stark looked him in the eye. Suddenly, he had become much more serious, and Happy understood that whatever he had to say, it was very important. "If you ever have to choose between me and Ana, you're going to choose to save her, no matter what. Understood?"

"Perfectly."

Once he got the reassurance from Happy, Stark returned to his usual nonchalant self. "Good. There you go."

Happy took the pen, and signed the contract.

"I'll see you at 7 tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

"No, sir."

Happy was smiling as he walked out of the Stark Mansion. He had a stable job, and a cool boss. His future had never been brighter before.


	3. Chapter 3

**August 1996**

Of all the occasions Tony was obliged to attend, weapons conventions could be his least favorite. He only went to them because Obie insisted that he had to, and because he secretly hoped to meet someone who could challenge his genius. So far, he had been disappointed. He was either surrounded by idiots who couldn't build anything that actually worked—Justin Hammer was the worst of them—or black-market arms dealers who tried to do business with him. Tony never understood why they thought he would be interested. Everybody knew Stark Industries sold weapons only to the U.S. government and its allies. Why would he want to ruin his dad's legacy by selling weapons to both sides? For more money?

He didn't have much hope for the upcoming one in Malta either. Perhaps this was why he was stalling even though Happy had taken his bags and was now waiting downstairs. He drained his Scotch and decided to see Ana. He would never leave for a business trip without saying her goodbye. The jet could wait. So could Obie.

He found her in the living room with Happy, with a newspaper in her hand. Tony smiled. She had learned how to read and write last year, and been trying to read everything she found since then.

"Hey," he said softly, plopping himself down on the couch beside her. "What are you reading?"

She showed him an article in the finance section. It must have caught her attention because it was about Stark Industries. "It's too hard," she complained. "I don't understand it."

"I get your struggle. Children's books are too easy for you, but this grown-up stuff is still too complicated… I've been there."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I learned how to read when I was three, too."

"I was eating dirt when I was at your age," Happy broke in. "You guys make me feel like an idiot."

"You're not an idiot!" Ana protested.

Happy grinned sheepishly. "Well, thank you, young miss."

"I told you you'd be good friends," Tony boasted. He had been right.

"Boss, we should probably leave. Mr. Stane's waiting."

"Daddy, don't go…"

This confused Tony. Ana had never made much fuss about his business trips before. In fact, she never made much fuss about anything. She was an easy kid. Much easier than he deserved, considering his own wayward childhood.

"Uncle Obie would kill me if I don't."

"No, he won't!"

"Okay, maybe not, but he wants what's best for us, and he says I really need to be there."

"What are you going to do there?"

"Not much. Just shake hands with other people like me."

"They're not like you."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you're the smartest man in the world. And the strongest. And the most handsome."

Tony laughed. He seriously didn't know why people thought kids weren't for egomaniacs like himself. What kind of egomaniac wouldn't want a little angel who would never get tired of saying how awesome he was at every opportunity? "Of course I am!"

"Can I come with you?"

"Why do you want to come?"

"I'm bored."

He thought for a moment. Some guys who would be at the convention were outright criminals, and he didn't want Ana to be anywhere near them. That being said, there wasn't exactly a "no kids allowed" policy. In fact, some of the regulars often brought their families along so that their spouses and kids could enjoy a vacation while they did business. This could be a good chance for Ana to socialize with the kids she might do business with when they grew up. Besides, if he refused, her sad little face would be haunting him until he returned home.

"Okay."

She flung her tiny arms around his neck and started showering his face with kisses. "Thank you, Daddy! Thank you!"

"JARVIS?"

"Sir?"

"Tell Chloe to get ready."

"I already have, sir."

_Good boy_, he thought.

…

As nannies went, Chloe was the best one he had hired so far. She had ten nanny certificates, spoke five languages, and unlike the previous nanny, she wasn't scared of JARVIS. JARVIS was still a work in progress, but he was a member of this family. Some people failed to understand that. Luckily, Chloe wasn't one of those people. And most importantly, Ana liked her. Tony being Tony, he had slept with her only a few hours after she had been hired, but now they pretended like it had never happened. He had no intention of losing her, at least until Ana no longer needed a nanny.

She was quick and adaptable as well. It had taken her less than 30 minutes to pack for this trip, for example, so Tony had been only two hours late. But Obie still wasn't happy. They had taken off twenty minutes ago, but he didn't even seem to notice.

"I should've just taken my own jet," he muttered while watching the evening news on the TV.

"Come on, Obie! I was only two hours late, and I wasn't even planning to bring Ana along! This is progress."

"Uncle Obie?" Ana broke in.

"Yes, dear?"

"Can I paint your nails?"

The look of horror on his face was hilarious. "No!"

"You can paint mine," Tony said. He needed to keep her busy until the bedtime, and even though Ana was a sensible little girl, she was still a little girl. She thought men with glittery nails looked pretty.

She gave him her "make-up bag," and let him choose a color. His options were pink, purple, neon yellow, and unicorn puke. He decided to go with the unicorn puke, mainly to see if he could give Obie a heart attack. Obie shook his head in disapproval, then returned to watching the news. Tony just watched his daughter. She looked extra adorable when she was fully concentrated on something, be it solving math problems, building a circuit board, or giving her daddy a manicure.

She was admiring her handiwork by the time Chloe came to take her to bed.

"Daddy, you tuck me in!"

He wiggled his fingers. "I don't think they're dry yet. We wouldn't want to ruin my perfect nails now, do we?"

"Okay," she huffed, and slid from the couch.

Tony stopped her. "Hey! Where do you think you're going? Where's my goodnight kiss?"

The smile on her face was priceless. "Here!" she said, and kissed his cheek. Tony kissed her back.

After Chloe took her away, Obie said, "Jesus, remind me to never have kids…"

"Your loss."

He laughed. "Don't mind me, Tony, I'm just a jealous old man."

"Damn right you are." Tony turned to the flight attendants. "Ladies, do any of you have nail polish remover?"

"I do," a redhead said, and went to fetch it. Soon, she was back with a bottle of remover and some cotton pads. "Do you need help?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Yeah, _help_ would be much appreciated…"

She sat down beside him, and got to work. She was biting her lips. Tony looked at the name tag. _Sarah_.

"Sarah?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"Go ahead, laugh. It's funny. Tony Stark with sparkly nails… You don't see that every day."

"I think it was very sweet of you."

Yeah, he was definitely not going to get bored during the flight.

…

The convention went as usual. People approached to shake his hand, Obie introduced him to several new faces, he stuck around for a while to see if anyone had any ideas that were worth hearing. Ulysses Klaue, an arms dealer working in Africa was talking about a game-changer, but not what exactly it was. Well, he was known to be half-mad anyway. It was probably his usual bullshit. So, Tony got bored and slipped away to the hotel's casino, leaving Obie alone with his fellow workaholics.

He met an ex-supermodel while playing roulette, and invited her to his suite for a drink. After they had sex, his least favorite thing happened. She started talking about her marriage problems.

"… And then he walked away from me! Just like that! Can you believe it?" she was complaining. "I quit my career for that man!"

Tony wasn't one for pillow talk. He took a quick look at his watch on the nightstand. It was past 11 PM. He was just going to pretend to be asleep until she either dozed off herself, or left the suite. Despite her complaints, she didn't look like someone who would want to be caught cheating, so he hoped she would leave.

"Tony?" she shook him. "Tony? Are you asleep already? Ugh!"

Unfortunately, she decided to stay, and lay back in the bed. Tony hated this when it happened. He promised women only fun, and good sex. Nothing more. It was a universal truth. So, why did some make a fool of themselves like this? He waited until she was fast asleep, and then slipped out of the bed. He put on some clothes and decided to use the bathroom in Ana's suite to take a shower.

Naturally, he found her sleeping peacefully. But when he came out of the bathroom, she was awake, sitting in the bed and rubbing her eyes. She looked adorable in her pink PJs, with her long, tousled dark hair, but he didn't let the scene fool him. She wasn't supposed to be up at this hour.

"Baby girl? Did I wake you up?"

"No. I'm thirsty."

"Oh. Okay." He looked around and saw a bottle of water on a coffee table. He gave it to her. "There you go."

She took a few gulps, then started watching him curiously. "What are _you_ doing here?"

He smiled. Of course she asked him why he was here. He took the bottle from her hand and put it aside. "I'll give you a secret," he whispered into her ear. "I'm hiding."

"From whom?"

"From a guest in my room."

"Then why did you invite her to your room?"

His smile widened. "How do you know it's a her?"

"You always invite girls."

God, kids learned fast. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Do those girls bother you?"

"No. You need friends. Chloe says everyone needs friends."

"Yeah, that's not wrong."

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"What if I don't need friends?"

"Why do you ask? You couldn't make any friends here?" This was expected. She was a genius. And unlike him, she was a shy genius. It wasn't going to be easy for her to socialize with normal kids at her age.

"I did. I played with the other kids. It was fun. But I didn't want to invite them to my room."

_I hope things stay that way. Forever._ "Well, maybe you're just big on personal space. No shame in that."

She frowned in confusion. "What's personal space?"

"I'll explain in the morning. It's late. Go back to sleep."

"You can stay here if you want."

He lay down, and pulled her to himself. Ana immediately nestled into his chest. She loved sleeping in his arms. "Thanks for saving me, kid."

"Anytime, Daddy."

"Now, close your eyes," he said in his most serious tone. The jet-lag had already messed with her. He didn't want to make things worse. Thankfully, she obeyed. She always obeyed.

_Four and a half years_, he thought as he gently stroked her hair to help her relax. It had been four and a half years since he had become the thing he feared the most: A father. And in his opinion, he wasn't doing such a bad job. He was the one Ana loved and trusted the most, as a father was supposed to be. Every time he looked at her, he knew he had done at least one thing right. Most of his life was still a mess, of course, but only because he wanted it to be. He hadn't exactly turned into a family man, but he had found a balance between fatherhood and the party scene. Ana had adjusted to this arrangement surprisingly well. She understood that the "other life" was something he needed. And he needed it. The damage his dad had done was so bad that even Ana couldn't fix him. He couldn't take his issues out on her, so he took them on the rest of the world instead.

He didn't understand, though. Why was she not enough? She should be. Right now, for example. Right now, everything was just perfect. He could inhale her scent, listen to her breathing, feel her tiny heart beat in her chest. No woman, casino, or drink could give him this sort of happiness. Then why was it not enough for him to let go of the past?

_Damn you, Dad_, he thought as he yawned. Perhaps to ease his guilty conscience, he decided to dedicate the rest of his time in Malta to her. He had brought her all the way here, he might as well show her everything there was to see.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is a Pepper one-shot! And probably the last one. I will leave this collection open for requests, but other than that, I won't be continuing these one-shots. People don't seem very interested, and I don't have any ideas for more.**

* * *

**May 2000**

"Virginia Potts, you're making a terrible mistake! I didn't go through all that trouble just for you to be an eye-candy secretary in the end!"

God, this was getting embarrassing. Her mom would never shut about the sacrifices she had made to be able to send Virginia to college. "Mom, we talked about this. I'll be hanging up now. Bye." She ended the call.

Mr. Hogan, who was driving her to Tony Stark's mansion, gave her a questioning look through the rear-view mirror. "Mothers, right?" he laughed.

"Yes," she said politely.

Virginia's mom was often paranoid, but this time, she might have a point. Working for a notorious playboy like Tony Stark could be a recipe for disaster, especially after what had happened with Killian. When he had first started hitting on her, her first reaction was self-blaming. Maybe her dress was too short. Maybe she was being too friendly. Maybe it was her who had sent him the wrong message. Then, there was pity. She didn't want him to think she refused his constant advances because he was disabled. So, instead of suing Killian for sexual harassment, she had found a new job at Stark Industries as an accountant, thinking Tony Stark wouldn't even know her name. But she had noticed a mistake in the accounting books the other day, and insisted on seeing him personally about it. While he was in search of a new personal assistant. Just her luck.

She had accepted the job because she had to know. She had to know if what had happened with Killian was her fault. If she managed to handle Tony Stark, she would know it wasn't. Deep down, a part of her even hoped that he would do something inappropriate, so that she could give him hell. There was no reason to pity the great Tony Stark, right?

"There we are," Hogan said, pulling in front of the biggest mansion in the neighborhood. "Nice place, huh?"

Well, she was used to being around rich people, so she wasn't really impressed. They entered the house. To her surprise, the door was unlocked. "Does Mr. Stark always leave the door unlocked?"

"Oh, no. JARVIS controls the locks."

"JARVIS?"

"Welcome to the Stark Mansion, Ms. Potts," a robotic male voice with British accent said.

"Yeah, that's JARVIS," Happy explained, almost bragging. "He's like the butler around here. You'll get used to it… JARVIS, where's the boss?"

"In his workshop, as usual."

Virginia looked around. It appeared Mr. Stark didn't have such a bad taste in home décor. Everything in the living room was simple, yet elegant. Large windows. Lots of light. The fountain contributed to the zen atmosphere. The place could definitely use more art, though. She made a mental note to tell Mr. Stark that if he ever asked for her advice on the matter.

"This way, Ms. Potts. Follow me."

"Does he spend much time in his workshop?" she asked as they descended the stairs.

"Oh, yeah. He loves it there. It's like his man cave. Don't call it a man cave, though, he says it's sexist."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Don't tell me Tony Stark is a feminist."

"Secretly."

She thought he was joking, but when they reached the basement, she saw a little girl behind the glass panels, and remembered that Tony Stark had a daughter. He _might_ secretly be a feminist, after all. The girl was sitting at a desk and scribbling something on a notebook, though she didn't understand how she was not bothered by the loud rock music blasting through the walls. Unlike the living room, this place was total chaos. There were tools, parts, and stacks of papers scattered around everywhere. Some looked dangerous. Hopefully, Stark didn't leave a little girl here unsupervised. Only the area in the back, where he apparently kept his vehicles, seemed to have some sort of order.

"That's Ana," Hogan explained. "She's eight. She's shy, so don't worry if she seems a bit distant at first. She'll warm up to you… if you stick around. She doesn't expect PAs to stick around. None of us do."

"Yeah, I'm quite familiar with Mr. Stark's… reputation." That was the kindest word she could think of. So far, no PA had been able to put up with him for more than six months.

Happy touched the glass door, and a numeric panel appeared on it. He dialed in a code. "He's going to give you your own passcode."

They entered, and Ana looked up. She had brown eyes and dark hair, like her father, and was wearing a black MIT t-shirt that was too big for her.

"Hey, Ana," Happy said. "This is Ms. Potts, the new PA."

"Hi, Ms. Potts," she said idly, without paying any actual attention to Virginia.

"Hello, Ana. Nice to meet you."

"Where's your dad?" Happy asked this time.

"In the cellar. Shall I call him?"

"Yeah, please."

She pressed on an intercom button on the desk. "Dad, your new nanny is here!"

"Okay, just give me a sec."

_Tony Stark's new nanny._ This was probably more accurate than her official job description. Hogan smiled at her encouragingly, while Ana returned to her scribbling. She seemed so absorbed in it that Virginia couldn't help but wonder what it was. She leaned closer, and realized the girl was doing calculus… Hadn't Hogan said she was eight?

"Is that calculus?" she gasped.

Upon hearing that, Ana looked up again, and this time, she actually paid some attention. "Do you know calculus?"

"I'm an accountant."

She smiled. "You're smarter than the others."

"Hey," Virginia heard Tony Stark's voice. He had come from the cellar, carrying a huge crate. Hogan went to his help. "You're the pepper spray girl, right?"

Virginia had had to threaten the security guards with a pepper spray in order to be able to see him about the mistake. The thing was, she hadn't even had a pepper spray.

"Where shall I put this, sir?" Hogan, who now had the crate, asked.

"Just over there."

"Virginia Potts," she reminded him of her name.

"Is it okay if I just call you 'Pepper'?"

"I prefer Ms. Potts."

"Yeah, I'm just going to call you Pepper. It suits you. What do you think, kid? She looks like a Pepper, right?"

"Dad, it's rude to give people unwanted nicknames."

"Hey, whose side are you on?"

"Yours, of course. Your productivity drops by 76% every time a PA quits."

"Wait, is that _my_ MIT t-shirt you're wearing… again?"

She shrugged mischievously.

"Young lady, we need to discuss the concept of ownership."

"Why? If I buy my own MIT t-shirt, I'll do it with your money. What's the difference?"

"The difference is," he started, but then paused, as if he was struggling to find the right words. Finally, he asked, "Do you see me play with your toys?"

"Yes."

"No!" he cried.

"Dad, when I donated all my toys last year, you _begged_ me to keep the laser tag set."

A giggle finally escaped Virginia's mouth. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't _this_. Stark seemed just so… human. And happy. Virginia had never seen him like this. Not at work, not on TV, not even at the office parties. Perhaps he wasn't as heartless as everyone thought, after all.

"Come here," he said, scooping her into his arms.

She giggled. "Dad, no… I'm doing homework!"

"That's not going to save you this time. Do you want me to tickle you to death, huh?"

"No…"

"On one condition: Give me a kiss."

She threw her arms around him, and kissed his cheek. Stark's grin widened, and he turned to Virginia again. "In case it's not obvious, she's the adult here."

"It's quite obvious, actually. Is that why she donated her toys last year?"

Ana shrugged. "I don't have time to play anymore. I want to learn."

"Learn what?"

"Everything."

Okay, this was a bit weird, but not in a bad way.

"So, Ms. Potts… Do you still want to work for me?"

Virginia didn't even hesitate to answer. "I do, Mr. Stark."

"Very well. Come on, kid. Let's show Pepper around."


End file.
